Slide fasteners



July 7, 1964 I. M MATHESON SLIDE FASTENERS 2 Sheets-sheaf. 1

Filed May 25. 1961 IIIIIMIWIIIIHIIIIIEI lllllllllllllll July 7, 1964 l.M. MATHESON SLIDE FASTENERS 2: 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1961 IllFIG?

United States Patent Oflice 3,133,659 Patented July 7, 1964 3,139,659SLIDE FASTENERS Ian M. Matheson, Wellington, New Zealand (RD. 1,Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand) Filed May 23, 1961, Ser. No. 111,9366 Claims. (Q1. 24206) This invention relates to slide fasteners for usewith garments and more particularly the invention has reference to slidefasteners which are adjustable as between two overlapping parts of agarment or article in which a track is on one part of the garment orarticle and facing a slider on another part of a garment or article, theslider having a locking lever to maintain the slider in a desiredposition on the track.

Prior to this invention it has been usual for the slide fastener tomaintain its hold on a track in one place thereon and therefore on avery small portion of the track with a consequent deformation or loss ofcontrol in holding the parts of the garment or article neatly together.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved slide fastenerdevice for conjoining and adjusting overlapping materials in which theslider keeps control of both parts of the garment or article, whichparts overlap so that the parts are maintained in the correctrelationship for neatness or for the comfort of the wearer particularlyin the case of trousers, skirts, and corsets where the overlapping partsof the garment around the wearer such as at the hips of the wearer or atthe front, or the back of the wearer and the slide fastener can beadjusted at the hips to a Wearers requirements.

According to this invention the improved device has several parts whichcombine to conjoin and to permit adjustment of an overlap in materials,and the device comprises a conjoining support slider and an inner support track on the outer face of an inner overlap of ma terial toslidably retain the support slider, and a locking slider with a lockinglever and an outer locking track on the inner face of an outer overlapof material, the arrangement and construction being such that when theoverlaps of material are in desired juxtaposition, the support track andthe locking track are facing each other in a lengthwise direction andthe conjoining support slider engages and conjoins with the supporttrack and the locking slider engages with the locking track to conjoinoverlapping materials with the locking slider having its locking leveraccessible and operable to effect adjustment of the overlaps in thematerial and to hold the material together with the desired overlap.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan of the device in its operable position showing theoverlap in the materials,

FIGURE 2 shows the device and the overlap of the materials according toFIGURE 1 with the overlaps of material hinged apart, and showing oneform of the outer or support track and its relationship to the outeroverlap of material,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view in elevation of the conjoiningslider for the support track,

FIGURE 4 is a cross section on line II of FIG- URE 1 of the supporttrack attached to the inner surface of the outer overlap of thematerials,

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view in elevation of the supportslider when on the support track and positioned as shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 6 is another form of the invention showing the outer or supporttrack in arcuate form to allow for variations in distance from a fixedsecuring tack along the edges of the overlap to the support track, ac-

cording to the amount of overlap given to the materials, and

FIGURE 7 is another view of the form of the invention according toFIGURE 6 but showing the relationship of the parts and the support givento the inner overlap with an increased overlap of the overlappingmaterials.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings of this invention as applied to agarment indicated generally by arrow 1, laps 2 and 5 of the material ofthe garment overlap each other and are shown with upper edges 20 and 5aof the laps 2 and 5 of a material, in juxtaposition with each other andwhen in use are in the same general plane. The inner lap 2 of thematerial has an inner locking track 3 attached to its outer face 4, andsuch inner track 3 lies or is arranged in the same general plane as thesaid upper edges of the laps 2 and 5 of the material. The outer face 4also has attached to it a support slider 6, and in one arrangement ofthe parts, the conjoining support slider 6 is aligned with and situatedat a distance from the inner locking track 3 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2so that the locking track 3 and the support slider 6 are arranged in thesame general plane with the laps 2 and 5 of the material lying one overthe other.

Furthermore, with particular reference to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, thearrangement of the support slider 6 and the inner locking track 3 on theouter face 4 of the inner lap 2 of material, is such that a lockingslider 7 of the outer lap 5 of the material can engage on the lockingtrack 3 and the support slider 6 can join with and engage on a supporttrack 3 on an inner face 9 of the outer lap 5 of the material.

The support track 8 can be T-shaped in cross section, as shown in FIGURE4, to form a stem with the cross of the stem forming flanges 17 on whichthe support slider 6 is adapted to engage and slide as shown in FIG- URE5. The stem of the outer slider track 8 has holes 18 (see FIGURES 4 and5) to take stitching 19 (see FIGURE 1) whereby the outer slider track 8can be sewn to the inner surface 9 of the outer lap 5 of material asshown in FIGURE 1.

A desirable outer support track 8 is made of a nylon or acrylic,polythene or thermo-pl astic material which can be penetrated by asewing needle which can be used to pass through the stem of the supporttrack 8 to effect sewing of the support track 8 to the outer lap 5 ofthe material by stitching 19 as shown in FIGURE 1 in dotted line.

It is desired for the carrying out of this invention,

that the support track 8 on the inner face 9 of the outer lap 5 ofmaterial in relation to the track 8 slopes or curves away and downwardsin its relationship with the aligned inner track 3 and support slider 6so that in this invention the locking slider 7 is in alignment with thesupport track 8 and in this arrangement when in use the track 8 isfacing and placed at an angle to the track 3 on the outer face 4 of theinner lap 2 of material.

The slope or angle-off arrangement of the track 8 in relation to theinner slider track 3 is desirable to alloW for variations in distancefrom a fixed securing tack 20 (FIGS. 6 and 7) along the edges of theoverlap given to the materials.

As shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings the free edge of the lap, 5 isrelated to the central portion of the track 3 and looseness of thematerial takes care of or allows for variations in the short distanceabout a securing tack 20 as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, but theconsiderable variations in distance from the securing tack 20 (whichforms a central point from which the free areasae edge forms a radius)in the position of the support slider 6 is taken care of and allowed forby the slope or curve of the support track 8. This allowance for theincrease in distance is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 wherein the greaterdistance from the securing tack 20 to the Support slider 6 compare withthe distance to the locking slider 7 is offset or allowed for by thecurve downwardly of the support track 8.

Thus, as shown in the drawings, the arrangement of the parts is suchthat the support slider 6 can engage on the support track 8 and thelocking slider 7 can engage on the locking track 3 to holdoverlappingmaterials 2 and in desired adjustment and juxtaposition.

The locking slider- 7 can extend beyond a vertical distal edge of thelap 5 of material so that a locking lever 10 which is pivotallyassociated with the outer locking slider 7 and engageable on the lockingtrack 3,

a is accessible and operable by a wearer of a garment to Which thedevice is applied so that the locking lever 10 can be manipulated toeffect desired adjustment of the locking lever 10 on the locking track 3whereby the support slider 6 on the support track 8 is moved to anadjusted position for the purpose of carrying out the invention inmaintaining overlaps of material in desired relationship.

Withfurther reference to FIGURE 2, the distal end of the outer lap 5 hasa loop in which in-turned parts 14 of the locking slider 7 are anchoredto retain the locking slider 7 in pivotal association with the saiddistal end of outer lap 5. Further the locking slider 7 has portions 11which are turned in towards each other as shown and are arranged to passupon the locking track 3 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

In one form of'the invention the support slider 6 has lengthwiseextended arms 12 by which the slider is fixed into and to a garment. Ifdesired the slider 6 can be made integral with the locking track 3 sothat the slider 6 and the track 3 can be easily affixed as one elementto the inner lap 2 of material. With reference to FIG- URES 3 and 5 ofthe drawings, the slider 6 has the form of a cross and is provided withlugs 13 at both ends of a cross bar 16, and lugs 13 can be in pairs andturned over and adapted, as shown in FIGURE 5, to engage and slide overand thereby be retained on the flanges 17 of the outer slider track 8.The conjoining slider 6 is therefore movable in one dimension only inrelation to the support track 8. Further the slider 6 and the track 3 aswell as the track 8 on the inner face 9 of an outer overlap 5 ofmaterial can be made of flexible material such as nylon or acrylic,polyethylene or thermoplastic material. Also the track 8, as shown inFIGURE 5, has at least one end formed and increased in size at 8a totake several tack bars or a plurality of stitches as indicated byadditional holes 18 whereby an end of the track 8 can be stitchedsecurely to the outer lap'5 of the material.

Thus, by this invention there is provided a combination of parts toconjoin and permit adjustment of the laps 2 and 5 in a material, and asapplied to a garment such as a pair of trousers, the laps 2 and 5 can beeffected at the hips of the wearer adjacent to the usual pocket on orabout a hip whereby the laps 2 and 5 of materials are not only held inone place by the locking slider 7 engaging on an inner locking track 3,but also the conjoining support slider 6 is engaged on an outer supporttrack 8 so that the laps 2 and 5 of the material are held injuxtaposition and in desired arrangement neatly and snugly to an articleor on a wearer of a garment incorporating the improved device.

What I do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates of America is:

1. An adjustable fastener for the waist band of garments or the likewhere the ends of the material overlap providing an inner and an outerlap of material each having a top edge and a free end, the fastenercomprising a supporting slider fixed to the outer surface of the innerlap of material at its free end facing the inner surface of said outerlap, an elongated rib-like strip of material secured full length on theinner surface of said outer lap having a shape complementary to theshape of said support slider and forming a support track adapted to beguidingly engaged by said support slider extending from a position nearthe free end of said outer lap in a direction generally parallel to thetop edge of the lap to hold said inner lap against said outer lap in allpositions of adjustment of the fastener and to positively position thetop edge of said outer lap with respect to the top edge of said innerlap, a locking slider secured to the free end of said outer lap, anelongated rib-like strip of material secured full length on the outersurface of said inner lap having a locking configuration complementaryto the shape of said locking slider and forming a locking track adaptedto be.

guidingly and lockably engaged by said locking slider, said lockingtrack lying in general alignment with said supporting slider andextending from a position adjacent said supporting slider where it maybe engaged by said locking slider when said support slider is engagedwith said support track to a-position remote from said support slider,each said track at its end adjacent the free end of its respective lapof material being unobstructed whereby the fastener is separable.

2. The adjustable fastener of claim 1 in which said support track iscurved.

3. The adjustable fastener of claim 1 in which said support track isunobstructed at its endadjacent said locking slider and is blocked atits end determining the greatest extent of overlap of said laps.

4. The fastener 'of claim 1 in which said support track is disposed at aslight angle with respect to said locking track and to the top edge ofsaid outer lap.

5. The fastener of claim 1 in which said support track is of T-section,the stem of the T being secured to the inner surface of the outer lap ofmaterial, and said supporting slider includes curved fingers engagingabout the arms of said T.

6. The fastener of claim 1 in which said locking'slider is secured tothe end of said outer lap and extends there beyond.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. AN ADJUSTABLE FASTENER FOR THE WAIST BAND OF GARMENTS OR THE LIKEWHERE THE ENDS OF THE MATERIAL OVERLAP PROVIDING AN INNER AND AN OUTERLAP OF MATERIAL EACH HAVING A TOP EDGE AND A FREE END, THE FASTENERCOMPRISING A SUPPORTING SLIDER FIXED TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE INNERLAP OF MATERIAL AT ITS FREE END FACING THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID OUTERLAP, AN ELONGATED RIB-LIKE STRIP OF MATERIAL SECURED FULL LENGTH ON THEINNER SURFACE OF SAID OUTER LAP HAVING A SHAPE COMPLEMENTARY TO THESHAPE OF SAID SUPPORT SLIDER AND FORMING A SUPPORT TRACK ADAPTED TO BEGUIDINGLY ENGAGED BY SAID SUPPORT SLIDER EXTENDING FROM A POSITION NEARTHE FREE END OF SAID OUTER LAP IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THETOP EDGE OF THE LAP TO HOLD SAID INNER LAP AGAINST SAID OUTER LAP IN ALLPOSITIONS OF ADJUSTMENT OF THE FASTENER AND TO POSITIVELY POSITION THETOP EDGE OF SAID OUTER LAP WITH RESPECT TO THE TOP EDGE OF SAID INNERLAP, A LOCKING SLIDER SECURED TO THE FREE END OF SAID OUTER LAP, ANELONGATED RIB-LIKE STRIP OF MATERIAL SECURED FULL LENGTH ON THE OUTERSURFACE OF SAID INNER LAP HAVING A LOCKING CONFIGURATION COMPLEMENTARYTO THE SHAPE OF SAID LOCKING SLIDER AND FORMING A LOCKING TRACK ADAPTEDTO BE GUIDINGLY AND LOCKABLY ENGAGED BY SAID LOCKING SLIDER, SAIDLOCKING TRACK LYING IN GENERAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SUPPORTING SLIDER ANDEXTENDING FROM A POSITION ADJACENT SAID SUPPORTING SLIDER WHERE IT MAYBE ENGAGED BY SAID LOCKING SLIDER WHEN SAID SUPPORT SLIDER IS ENGAGEDWITH SAID SUPPORT TRACK TO A POSITION REMOTE FROM SAID SUPPORT SLIDER,EACH SAID TRACK AT ITS END ADJACENT THE FREE END OF ITS RESPECTIVE LAPOF MATERIAL BEING UNOBSTRUCTED WHEREBY THE FASTENER IS SEPARABLE.